Performances

Tune of the Day: Jock O' Hazeldean

Traditional Scottish air

This old Scottish melody can be played either as a slow air or as a Highland Fling. One of the earliest versions of the tune appears in Lady Margaret Wemmyss's lute manuscript from the 1640s, under the title “My Lady Binnis Lilt”. The original and ancient ballad is called “John of Hazelgreen”, but later the lyrics were substantially reworked (as was the melody) with additional words by Sir Walter Scott. Scott's “Jock o' Hazeldean” tells the tale of a young woman forced into an arranged marriage by her family who elopes on her wedding day with her true love, Jock O' Hazeldean.